How to register to vote in the UK general election
After a kidney punch of a recession, a sucker punch of an expenses scandal and the illegal bar brawl of Britain's wars where real life people are being killed and all that, now's as a good a time as any to take an interest in politics and do your bit by voting in the upcoming general election. Here's how to go about it:
Requirements
- You'll need to be 18 or over on May 6th 2010
- A resident of the UK
- A British citizen, a qualifying Commonweath citizen or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland
- Not subject to any legal incapacity to vote, i.e. completely, utterly insane.
Get on the electoral register
- You'll need to get in touch with your local council to find out if you're on it. For details on who to contact, type your postcode in on the Electoral Commission website. If you're not registered, you need to fill out the registration form and return it by 20th April. On the plus side, being on the electoral register can help your credit rating.
How to vote
- Once you're registered, a poll card will arrive in the post. It'll tell you when and where to vote on May 6th. Go there, collect your ballot paper and then it's as simple as putting an 'X' next to the name of the person/party you're voting for.
- By Post - Anyone can vote by post but you need to apply to do it by 20th April. Pick up a form from your local election office or download one here. Your ballot paper will then be sent out about a week before polling day.
- By Proxy - If you've got a good reason (laziness doesn't count, sadly) for being unable to vote such as falling ill and being unable to make it to a polling station, or you're abroad at the time of the election, somebody else can vote on your behalf. Fill in and return a form by 27th April. You can get one at your local election office or download one here.
What happens next?
Once the polls are closed, the votes will be counted by official teams and the results declared. Usually by the next day. Good work, you just secured the future of this great nation! Maybe...
For more details, check out aboutmyvote.co.uk.
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